The Tom Brady era for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is over. Baker Mayfield started off the new one with a win — and a top-notch stiff arm.
The new Buccaneers quarterback channeled his inner Derrick Henry on Sunday in a 20-17 win over the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn.
With the score tied at 17 midway through the fourth quarter, Mayfield ran to his right after faking a handoff on what appeared to be a read-option play. The Buccaneers QB appeared destined to be tackled for a loss as Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. stalked him along the line of scrimmage.
But instead of getting tackled, Mayfield was the one who dealt the punishment. He gave Murphy a tough stiff arm, then followed it up with some trash talk for good measure.
“Get your f–king weight up, little boy!” screamed Mayfield. “Get that f–king weight up!”
That is an angry man 😡🖐️ pic.twitter.com/YWokLu0APa
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) September 11, 2023
Mayfield’s show of strength only yielded five yards. But the drive did result in a go-ahead field goal to put the Buccaneers up 20-17.
Perhaps the confidence boost also helped Mayfield on a later run. With a chance to seal the victory on a 3rd-and-2, Baker ran past several Vikings defenders to get a clutch first down for Tampa Bay.
Example A on why Baker Mayfield wins over his locker rooms (🐶): pic.twitter.com/ZkRIeSRSbc
— Spittin' Cap™️ (@SpittinCap) September 10, 2023
Mayfield finished with 173 passing yards with 2 touchdowns, no interceptions, and a couple of massive runs to seal a Week 1 win.
